NKU-Mississippi Valley State box score |
NKU-Mississippi State box score
STARKVILLE, Miss. – The Northern Kentucky University softball team concluded play on Saturday at the Bulldog Kickoff Classic still seeking its first win of the season after dropping matinee decisions to Mississippi Valley State and Mississippi State.
Mississippi Valley State got a five-run first inning and held on the rest of the way to post a 5-2 win over NKU in the opener. The Devilettes (1-2) were led by Yasmine Battle, who went 2-for-4 with a run scored. Jahcenda Garrett also went 1-for-3 with a pair of RBI in the game. In the late game, it was another early offensive burst that put the game out of reach as Mississippi State took a 6-1 decision over the Norse, who fell to 0-4 on the season.
A leadoff single for Yasmine Battle was followed by three walks by NKU starter
Alyssa Enrique forced in the first run and sparked the offensive surge for MVSU. A hit batter preceded Garrett's two-run single, and Annaisa Sanchez capped off the inning with an RBI-groundout.
Both teams went silent with the bats until the top of the fifth inning, when
Mandi McQueen got the Norse on the board with a leadoff home run, her first of the year.
KC Straley followed up by drawing a walk and
Dee Dee Davis used an infield single to set the table for
Natalie Papi, who drove in another run on a sacrifice fly, and cut the lead to three.
The advantage held until the seventh inning when
Dani Devlin opened the frame with a single. Davis picked up her second hit of the day, slicing a 1-0 pitch through the right side to bring up Van Horn as the potential tying run, but MVSU relief pitcher Cassandra Rivera was able to induce the groundout and hold on for her first save of the season.
Tenna Patterson got the win for the Devilettes, giving up two runs on three hits while walking four and striking out three over five innings. The Norse used four pitchers in the game, including freshman
Paige McQueen, who was charged with one run on two hits and struck out two in 3.2 innings of work. Enrique (0-1) took the loss in the circle for the Norse.
In the late game, all six Bulldog runs came with two outs, as MSU struck for a four-spot in the first inning and added another two runs in the second. Meanwhile, a leadoff walk to Straley preceded a string of 13-straight Norse set down in order before
Katelyn Roy broke up the no-hit bit with a single in the fifth inning.
The Norse picked up their only run of the contest in the sixth inning when Straley reached on a one-out double and Papi drove her in on a first-pitch single to the gap in left center.
Jacey Punches (2-0) got the win in relief for the Bulldogs, giving up one hit and striking out seven in 3.1 innings. The loss fell to
Alex Caudill (0-2), who surrendered six runs on eight hits with a pair of walks and a strikeout.
NKU will close out the weekend's action at the Bulldog Kickoff Classic with a noon first-pitch against Mississippi Valley State.
